Mom Sentenced To 25 Years For Sexually Abusing Her 16-Month-Old Daughter

A mother of three who was arrested in 2017 has been sentenced to 25 years in a federal prison. The mom was caught filming herself while she sexually abused her infant daughter so she could send the videos to her boyfriend.

The case shocked the nation, and the mother took a plea deal.

Jerrica Lackey, a 30-year-old mother from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was convicted on one count of sexual exploitation of a child. Initially she was facing six federal charges.

She's been sentenced to 25 years after plea bargaining with the court. Additional charges of possession and distribution of child pornography were dropped as part of the deal.

Lackey was caught by her ex-husband after he borrowed her phone. While using the phone, he discovered images of his ex-wife molesting their 16-month-old baby daughter.
He found the images had been sent to someone via Kik, a social media app. In one image, the mother was digitally penetrating the infant.

The father went to Lackey's home and confronted Lackey about the images. He took the baby with him and told her that he was reporting her to the police and turning in the phone as evidence.

Lackey decided to beat him to the punch and turned herself in by calling 911. She admitted that she sexually abused her youngest child.

She said she recorded the videos of the abuse to send them to her boyfriend in Florida.

"I know initially when we got the call we're like that can't be," said Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Casey Roebuck to KJRH. "I mean that's hard to even comprehend that a mother would do something like that to a child."

Police showed up and arrested Lackey on May 22, 2017. She confessed to them and told her she committed the crime to please her current boyfriend.

The incidents reportedly took place between March and May of 2017. Lackey took photos of the baby nude, as well as photos of her committing sexual acts on the child.

She met her boyfriend over social media and had been involved with him for two months. The mom says that he demanded she send him the videos and would get angry if she didn't.

When she failed to supply him with the home-made child pornography, she said he would 'punish' her.

Neighbors were shocked at the time of Lackey's arrest. They said she seemed to be an average mom and did not suspect any abuse.

“We see her all the time outside with the babies, interacting with them, and she just didn’t seem like she would ever do that,” said Tymprance Melton to News on 6.

Some people felt that the abusive mother got off easy, but authorities seemed satisfied with the outcome of the case.

"This case is an excellent example of state and federal law enforcement working together to identify those who exploit children," said United States Attorney Trent Shores.

"We will hold those who prey on the most vulnerable in our society, and who choose to manufacture child pornography, accountable for their actions.”

The woman's two older children from another relationship were placed with other relatives.